Voter Registration Deadlines Approaching

By some estimates, BET News reports, roughly one quarter of all eligible voters in the United States are not yet registered to vote. There's still time – but not much. Both political parties, as well as various advocacy groups, are making a final push this week to encourage as many as possible of those tens of millions of people to prepare to head to the polls before their states' deadlines, several of which are fast approaching.

For residents in five states, the deadline to register to vote is this weekend. Many states have a deadline of Oct. 9 and for several others, the deadline is the following weekend.

In New York, for example, residents who fill out registration forms may vote so long as their documents are postmarked by midnight on Oct. 12. In California, the deadline is Oct. 22 for voter registrations to be postmarked or submitted electronically.

In Georgia, as in many states, the deadline for registering is Oct. 9. In Texas, the deadline for postmarking voter registration forms is Oct. 30. ..

In Pennsylvania, where there has been widespread controversy — and confusion — about voting requirements, the deadline to register is also Oct. 9. Voters in Pennsylvania will be allowed to cast their ballots without being required to present the voter identification cards voted on by the state’s legislature.